OKLAHOMA CITY — The 2025-26 NBA season opens with a historic night for the champion Oklahoma City Thunder , celebrating its first title in franchise history at the Paycom Center. Before taking on the Houston Rockets, head coach Mark Daigneault and the Thunder players will receive their championship rings and raise a banner in honor of the title. Then, it's back to work for the defending champs.

The champion Thunder enter the regular season as favorites to repeat in 2026, but as recent NBA history tells us, the odds are not in Oklahoma City's favor. Only three teams have won back-to-back titles over the past 23 years: the Golden State Warriors (2017-18), the Miami Heat (2012-13), and the Los Angeles Lakers (2001-02). Will the 2025-26 Thunder beat the odds?

Here are four of the biggest

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